Visit Outback NSW

Set in the heart of the Riverina and on the eastern edge of the New South Wales Outback, Hay is located 728 km west of Sydney via the Great and Mid Western Highways it is set beside the Murrumbidgee River at the junction of the Sturt, Cobb and Mid Western Highways. It is about halfway between Sydney and Adelaide. For people travelling from the east this is the beginning of the real Outback.

Hay is surrounded by the vast plains of the Riverina which stretch down into Victoria and north beyond the Queensland border. Today Hay lies at the heart of a wheat and sheep grazing area which, with the arrival of good quality irrigation, has been expanded to include rice and feed crops.

A charming and gracious town, it is full of interesting and historic buildings including the Post Office, a number of the local banks, the Shire and lands offices and, most importantly, the Hay Gaol (dating from 1879) which is now an interesting museum.

Hay is known in the district for its excellent riverside facilities. There are several large sandy beaches for swimming, boating, canoeing, waterskiing and anglers can fish for golden perch, silver bream, Murray cod, redfin, catfish, Murray crayfish and yabbies.